IC25's MLB '10 Predictions

[IrishCanadian25]

It's time for another year of Major League Baseball, that bastion of calm Americana that acts as the recipient of the transition from the colder, more intense NFL / NCAA seasons. And once again, here at Wrestlezone, I bring you IC25's version of a Mike & Mike in the Morning tradtion - predictions sure to go wrong.

Here they are, by division:

AL East
1st - NY Yankees
2nd - Tampa Bay*
3rd - Boston
4th - Baltimore
5th - Toronto

The Yankees have so much depth at the important spots, I don't see how they aren't able to repeat in the division. The real story will be the fact that Boston and Tampa will both finish within 4 games of the Bronx Bombers, and that Tampa Bay will reach back for that sense of urgency and somehow outlast the Sox for the Wild Card spot. The big finish will allow the Yanks to attract a heavy hitting catcher in the offseason to replace a declining Posada.

AL Central
1st - Minnesota
2nd - Detroit
3rd - Chicago
4th - Cleveland
5th - Kansas City

The Twins were dealt a massive blow by losing Nathan, but Mauer has his contract, the new stadium is up, and the expectations remain high. I love this team from their manager to their bat girl, and I think they'll scrap to a narrow division title over the Tigers, who will suffer from the loss of Curtis Granderson to the Yanks.

AL West
1st - Seattle
2nd - Texas
3rd - Anaheim
4th - Oakland

The A's finishing last are my only sure thing here, just judging by how they've mismanaged the Jack Cust deal. Seattle has the best 1-2 punch in terms of starting pitching with MAYBE the exception of St. Louis. Having Cliff Lee join the staff, and with Ichiro on his way to the Hall of Fame, I think this is Seattle's to lose. And they just might.

NL East
1st - Philadelphia
2nd - Atlanta*
3rd - NY Mets
4th - Florida
5th - Washington

Guh, it'll be an ugly year to be a Mets fan. At least this year expectations are already low, so there's less disappointment when they suck. Atlanta is so much improved, and I think they will overacheive and make the playoffs in Bobby Cox's last year. Philly hasn't gotten any worse - Brad Lidge remains a question mark, as he was all last year when Philly made it back to the World Series. That should tell you something.

NL Central
1st - St. Louis
2nd - Chicago
3rd - Milwaukee
4th - Cincinatti
5th - Houston
9th - Pittsburgh

St. Louis is in the same boat as Philly. They haven't gotten any worse. They will retain two ace pitchers who were in the top 3 in Cy Young voting last year. And they still have the best player in the game in Pujols. As long as The Machine stays healthy, they will win. The Cubbies will be okay this year, but still finish a good 8-10 games out of the division. The Pirates will be so bad that they will finish 9th when MLB projects that they would have also finished behind 3 local minor league teams.

NL West
1st - Colorado
2nd - Arizona
3rd - Los Angeles
4th - San Francisco
5th - San Diego

My big shock here. LA will finish 3rd, though only 2 and a half games out. Colorado is a damn fine team and will go on their usual late run. Arizona will get Brandon Webb back strong in the 2nd third of the season and ride him to a sniff of the Wild Card, which they lose on the final weekend to Atlanta. San Francisco will get great pitching and set a record for 2-1 losses.

AL Playoffs
Seattle over New York
Tampa Bay over Minnesota

Seattle over Tampa Bay

NL Playoffs
Atlanta over St. Louis
Colorado over Philly

Atlanta over Philly

WORLD SERIES
Seattle over Atlanta

God I am gonna be SO WRONG...

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Wow, I was in the middle of creating this thread and saw you posted one already. Great minds think alike!

American League
East

1.) New York Yankees
2.) Boston Red Sox (WC)
3.) Tampa Bay Rays
4.) Baltimore Orioles
5.) Toronto Blue Jays

The Yankees have gotten better with the acquisitions of Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, and Javier Vazquez. Vazquez was the third best starter in the NL last season, and the Yankees got him to be their third starter. Chamberlain and Hughes have clearly defined roles now. The bullpen seems to be iffy, but it was thought to be iffy last season as well and it turned out to be a huge strength of theirs as the season began to wear down. The Red Sox are without Jason Bay, but they did upgrade at shortstop and John Lackey is the third number one at the top of their rotation. I think Beltre and Cameron will offset the loss of Bay and hit 25 HRs each. Don't underrate the bench either. Hermida is a former top prospect who will step in for Drew against Lefties and when he gets hurt. Bill Hall was at one point pegged to be a star and can play anywhere. Mike Lowell can play 1B, 3B, and fill in at DH. The bullpen is the only real weak spot of this team. Scott Schoeneweis? Yuck. Personally, I think the Sox acquire an impact player by the deadline which pushes them over the top against the Rays. The Rays are good, but still have a few unknowns, and they might not have enough to pass the Red Sox. Needless to say, it will be close. Baltimore and Toronto are up and comers who are going to take their lumps this season. Baltimore is getting better, though, and I think they're primed for a Rays in 2008 run next year.

Central
1.) Minnesota Twins
2.) Chicago White Sox
3.) Detroit Tigers
4.) Cleveland Indians
5.) Kansas City Royals

The Twins are without Nathan, but that's alright. They're still going to be very tough to beat this season, with great players at each starting position, and the fact that it's a very tight-knit clubhouse. The pitching is very strong as well. The White Sox are going to be tough, but I don't see that offense, including starting Juan Pierre, being a positive. They'll be better than the Tigers though, who after Verlander and Porcello, have a lot of question marks in their pitching and lost Curtis Granderson. The Indians have a good up and coming team, who are maybe a year away from making noise in this division again. The Royals have one of the worst, if not THE worst GM in baseball, and while Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria will be masterful again this season, they're only two players on a team of 25 that are good.

West
1.) Seattle Mariners
2.) LA Angels
3.) Texas Rangers
4.) Oakland A's

The Mariners are improved as a whole. Milton Bradley seems happy and is out of chances. He'll produce. The team is going to be very good, led by their pitching, as Bedard will finally show he was worth trading all of their top prospects for. The Angels will feel the sting of the losses of John Lackey and Chone Figgins, and Abreu and Matsui will regress. They'll be in a dogfight for the Wild Card against the Red Sox, Rays, and Rangers. The Rangers will regret not starting Neftali Feliz in the rotation, and Hamilton and Vlad will see time on the DL. Their pitching, despite being much improved last year, will probably regress this season. The A's will finish in last, proving Billy Beane to be the most overrated GM in baseball.

Awards:
MVP: Mark Teixeira
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
ROTY: Brian Matusz

National League
East

1.) Philadelphia Phillies
2.) Atlanta Braves (WC)
3.) Florida Marlins
4.) New York Mets
5.) Washington Nationals

The Phillies have Roy Halladay and their team is basically the same as last season. I think Brad Lidge will be better (of course, you can't get much worse from last season), but if he falters, Ryan Madson will be able to handle closing. This is the team to beat in the NL, and they'll be tough to put away. I think the Braves will win the Wild Card as they overachieve for Bobby Cox. Their pitching, despite losing Vazquez, is still very tough. Jason Heyward will prove to be the real deal. The Marlins will continue to get by on scrappiness and contend for the Wild Card, but come up short again. The Mets are going to be laughably bad again, and I think Omar will be fired by midseason. The Nationals will be a lot better than they were in the past, but it still won't be enough.

Central

1.) St. Louis Cardinals
2.) Milwaukee Brewers
3.) Chicago Cubs
4.) Cincinnati Reds
5.) Houston Astros
6.) Pittsburgh Pirates

The Cardinals I think will be the team that comes out of the NL this season. When you have the best pitching coach in the league who can work magic with anyone, as well as a vastly underrated catcher in Yadier Molina, plus a lineup that contains Colby Rasmus, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick, that's scary. David Freese will be very decent at 3B as well, and you know what you're getting with Schumaker and Ryan. Unspectacular, but solid players. The Brewers will make strides this season, but the Cards will run away with this division. The Cubs are going to falter again, due to having shitty players with exorbitant contracts.

West:
1.) LA Dodgers
2.) Colorado Rockies
3.) San Francisco Giants
4.) Arizona Diamondbacks
5.) San Diego Padres

The Dodgers are going to be tough as nails this season, and I think Manny returns to form. Chad Billingsley will return to form, and Joe Torre is still the best manager in baseball. The Rockies will fall just short due to their pitching. The Giants have good pitching, and their offense isn't THAT bad. The D-Backs are going to struggle due to their lack of good pitching after Haren and Webb (and Webb is still hurt), and the Padres are a long way from contention and will probably trade A-Gon to the Red Sox by the deadline.

Awards:
MVP: Albert Pujols
Cy Young: Roy Halladay
ROTY: Jason Heyward

Playoffs:
AL: Yankees over Red Sox
NL: Cardinals over Braves

World Series: Yankees over Cardinals

 

[Theo Mays]

Instead of opening a new thread I'll just place it here with the other predictions. So lets start it off with the American League.

AL EAST

New York Yankees
-I think they stand a great chance at being the best team in baseball and they could very well have the best offense in the game. Love the pickup of Granderson, as I expect him to tear it up in the Bronx and the pitching staff is still solid with CC, AJ, Andy, Vazquez (great pickup), and Hughes.

Players to watch out for: Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano
Players who could disappoint: Phil Hughes and Nick Johnson
Team MVP: Mark Teixeria

Boston Red Sox
-The AL East is a 3 team race and it is going to be tight. With the Yanks winning I have the Sox edging out the Rays and gaining the WC spot in the process. Love the addition of Lackey, as I think him, Lester, and Becks make a great 1-2-3.

Players to watch out for: Marco Scuturo and Daniel Bard
Players who could disappoint: Adrian Beltre and Jacoby Ellsbury
Team MVP: Kevin Youkilis

Tampa Bay Rays
-Kills me to put the Rays here, as I want to see them make the playoffs and again trump the Sox and the Yanks. However I just don't see them doing it. I believe they have the most talented team amongst the 3, but I just see some down years and some injuries hurting the team in the long run.

Player to watch out for: Rafael Soriano
Player who could disappoint: Ben Zobrist
Team MVP: Carl Crawford

Toronto Blue Jays
-I think the Jays are a pretty underrated team despite losing Doc. I like their rotation with Marcum, Eveland, Morrow, Tallet, and Romero. The bats are the main question for me. If they can find a consistent offense they could get some wins and surprise some people. Still not better than the main 3 however.

Players to watch out for: Travis Snider and Shawn Marcum
Players who could disappoint: Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill
Team MVP: Adam Lind

Baltimore Orioles
-The youthsters of the east. Again they will be the cellar dwellars of the East. I like their upside, but it is going to take them awhile to even get up in the standings. They'll stay competitive throughout the year and their kids will develop. Could get some surprise wins during the course of the year.

Players to watch out for: Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold
Players who could disappoint: Luke Scott and Kevin Milwood
Team MVP: Adam Jones

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota Twins
-They lose Joe Nathan and that'll be big, no doubt. But Gardenhire is one of the best in the game and he will put in the right pieces and gets the team to play great baseball. They still have Mauer, who is the best catcher and probably the 2nd best hitter. Morneau is a solid first basemen, Cuddyerand Kubel are pretty underrated as well. Pitching is the key, if they pitch well they win the division.

Players to watch out for: Jon Rauch and JJ Hardy
Player who could disappoint: Carl Pavano
Team MVP: Joe Mauer

Chicago White Sox
-The ChiSox didn't really make any big moves, but they made some qualities moves with pickups like Teahen, Pierre, Vizquel, JJ Putz, and Andruw Jones. Peavy is healthy and Buerhle is still a solid pitcher. Floyd and Danks are nice, quality pitchers and if Garcia can put it together the staff should be one of the best in the division.

Players to watch out for: Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham
Players who could disappoint: Paul Konerko and Freddy Garcia
Team MVP: Jake Peavy

Detroit Tigers
-Tigers could be good and win the division or they could be a team of inconsistencies. I expect the latter. I just haven't been impressed by them. They could and probably will prove me wrong. After Verlander I'm not high on the rotation minus Scherzer and I think their offense is overrated. I do however like the Johnny Damon signing.

Player to watch out for: Max Scherzer
Players who could disappoint: Magglio Ordonez and Rick Porcello
Team MVP: Miguel Cabrera

Kansas City Royals
-This team could surprise some people. However I just don't see it happening this year, maybe next. I could see them leaping the Tigers. I expect some surprise wins for the Royos and if the bullpen can put it together Greinke could be Cy Young again. The Royos, much like the ChiSox made some quality signings with Podsednik, Ankiel, and Getz. Billy Butler should continue to beast it up. Pitching will be their key.

Player to watch out for: Yuniesky Betancourt
Player who could disappoint: Jose Guillen
Team MVP: Zach Grienke

Cleveland Indians
-I'm just not fond of this team at all. Average offense and average pitching. Not much to say about the Tribe. Fans should look for another average season. Might be time to ship off Sizemore and get some prospects in return.

Players to watch out for: Lou Marson and Shin Soo-Choo
Players who could disappoint: Justin Masterson and Matt LaPorta

AL WEST

Texas Rangers
-My sleeper team last year becomes my division winner this year. The Rangers weak spot is their pitching, but I feel that the hitting will carry them into the playoffs. Love the addition of Vlad to team with Hamilton and Nelly. Pitching should do alright. Feldman is a quality pitcher and of course if Harden can stay healthy he can do damage. Love the bullpen as well with Francisco and Nefteli Feliz.

Players to watch: Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus
Player who could disappoint: Rich Harden
Team MVP: Nelson Cruz

Seattle Mariners
-The Angels are finally trumped and it is by two teams now. The M's probably had one of the best offseasons in the league. They added an ace with Lee to pair with King Felix. The offense is solid as well with Ichiro, Lopez, Figgins, and Kotchmen. Pitcher staff is also top notch with aforementioned Hernandez and Lee. Throw in Rowland-Smith and that is a top notch 1-2-3. Lets also not forget about Bedard as the 4th guy.

Player to watch out for: Franklin Gutierrez
Player who could disappoint: Ichiro Suzuki
Team MVP: Felix Hernandez

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
-Don't get me wrong this Angels team is still good. However I feel they are going to be effected much like I said the Rays would be. Injuries, bad luck, and two teams above them who surprise us. They have a solid offense, but I think the pitching staff will struggle and cost them some games. Should be a tight race.

Player to watch out for: Erick Aybar
Players who could disappoint: Bobby Abreau and Hideki Matsui
Team MVP: Kendry Morales

Oakland Athletics
-Shame this team plays in such a strong division. They could really surprise some people this year. The A's always hang in there and compete, no matter whose names are on the jerseys. Pitching staff is solid with Sheets and Duch.

Players to watch out for: Ryan Sweeney and Dallas Braden
Player who could disappoint: Andrew Bailey
Team MVP: Ben Sheets

Lets review this shindig (Seeding in ()):
AL East-New York Yankees (1)
AL Central-Minnesota Twins (2)
AL West-Texas Rangers (4)
Wild Card-Boston Red Sox (3)

AL Awards:
MVP: Mark Teixeria (New York)
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez (Seattle)
Rookie: Wade Davis (Tampa Bay)
Comeback: Ben Sheets (Oakland)
Manager: Ron Washington (Texas)

Now onto the National League.

NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies
-The division is much improved, but the Phillies are still the best team around. Halladay will carry the pitching staff and I see Hamels bouncing back to form. There is no question how good the Phillies offense is. The best in the NL and second to only the Yanks. Bullpen will be the key, but last year they made it to the WS with an inconsistent pen, so it would not surprise me to see them make a run again this year.

Players to watch: Placido Polanco and Kyle Kendrick
Players who could disappoint: Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez
Team MVP: Roy Halladay

Atlanta Braves
-The Bravos will be the most improved team in the NL this year. They had a great offseason and it looks like the rook, Jason Heyward is legit. Pitching staff is great with Huddy, Jair, Lowe, and Hanson. They should win the wild card.

Players to watch: Tommy Hanson and Jason Heyward
Players who could disappoint: Tim Hudson and Nate McClouth
Team MVP: Jair Jurrjens

New York Mets
-The ever inconsistent Mets. They need to stay healthy if they wanna compete. High expectations have hindered this team as well. I don't expect them to win, but I do expect them to compete. They have all the tools to win the division. The key will be staying healthy and whether the pitching staff can get it done. They could very easily lose this spot to Florida. I do love the pickup of Jason Bay though.

Player to watch out for: Angel Pagan
Player who could disappoint: Jose Reyes
Team MVP: David Wright

Florida Marlins
-The ever so pesky fish out of Florida. They are much like the Oakland A's. No matter who the names on the jerseys say, this team competes. They have a great young core of Coghlan, HanRam, and Maybin. Lets not forget the awesomeness that is their starting rotation. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez. They could easily be the 2nd place team in this division, but I can't see them lower than 4th.

Players to watch out for: Chris Coghlan and Chris Volstad
Player who could disappoint: Dan Uggla
Team MVP: Hanley Ramirez

Washington Nationals
-Is there really much to say here. The Nats, while they have a nice team just aren't good enough to compete. They will give fights each game, but they aren't anywhere ready to move out of the bottom of the division.

Player to watch out for: Ian Desmond
Player who could disappoint: Adam Dunn
Team MVP: Ryan Zimmerman

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals
-Besides the Phillies this is the team with the best chance to make it to the WS. They have all the tools. Solid pitching staff and a solid offense. Of course having Pujols helps. I can't see any of the other teams in the division taking this crown away from the STL.

Players to watch out for: Colby Rasmus and Brendan Ryan
Player who could disappoint: Ryan Ludwick
Team MVP: Albert Pujols

Chicago Cubs
-Everyone's favorite losers, the Cubbies. They have the best chance at topping the Cards. They have a solid offense and a decent pitching staff. They should compete for the WC along with the Braves.

Player to watch out for: Marlon Byrd
Player who could disappoint: Carlos Zambrano
Team MVP: Derek Lee

Pittsburgh Pirates
-SAY WHAT!?!?!? That is right. The Pirates. The team that hasn't had a winning season in almost two decades. They are my sleeper team this year and I think they are going to surprise some people. This is probably wishful thinking, however this team has the makings to do some damage. Jones is a legit power hitter and McCutch is one of the hottest young stars in the biz. Throw in a half decent pitching staff and a solid closer in Dotel and watch out.

Player to watch out for: Jeff Clement
Player who could disappoint: Paul Maholm
Team MVP: Garrett Jones

Milwaukee Brewers
-The team is good, but I see them like the Tigers. They'll have an inconsistent year and they will be up and down throughout the standings. They offense will be there, the pitching will be the question. I do love the move of bringing in Wolf and Carlos Gomez from the Twinkies.

Players to watch out for: Alcides Escobar and Carlos Gomez
Player who could disappoint: Prince Fielder
Team MVP: Ryan Braun

Cincinnati Reds
-If Dusty Baker could figure out how to do a lineup card the Reds could be the Pirates, instead Baker will hold them back. They have a great making of a team with Votto, Bruce, and Phillips. Plus they signed the Chapman kid, who I expect to get called up later in the year. The team has all the right players, just the wrong manager.

Player to watch out for: Homer Bailey
Player who could disappoint: Aaron Harang
Team MVP: Joey Votto

Houston Astros
-The Astros are just like the Indians to me. I just don't think they will be any good. Ed Wade is a terrible GM and the Astros don't really have much in my opinion that will allow them to compete. The pitching staff is average in my mind, as is the pen. Offense will be hit or miss, but I just don't see them winning many games.

Players to watch out for: Michael Bourn and Wandy Rodriguez
Players who could disappoint: Hunter Pence and Roy Oswalt
Team MVP: Wandy Rodriguez

NL West

San Francisco Giants
-Their offense will be their key to getting to the playoffs. The pitching will not be a problem. The staff might be the best in the NL and if the offense can remain above average they should win this division.

Players to watch out for: Eugenio Velez and Jonathan Sanchez
Player who could disappoint: Bengie Molina
Team MVP: Tim Lincecum

Los Angeles Dodgers
-The Dodgers are mostly everyone's favorites to win the division. I think they could surpass Atlanta for the WC, but I think ATL edges them in a playoff game to get in. Dodgers if they make the playoffs could be dangerous, but I expect some ups and downs and some distractions from Manny and they will hold the team back.

Player to watch out for: Clayton Kershaw
Player who could disappoint: Manny Ramirez
Team MVP: Matt Kemp

Colorado Rockies
-Just like the Dodgers they could win this division as well. The Rox have all the tools to make some noise and really shakeup the NL like they did a few years back. Jimenez is the ace of the ro, but after that it is a blurry pitcher. The offense is nothing to mess with. In Coors it will be kicking.

Players to watch out for: Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez
Player who could disappoint: Clint Barmes
Team MVP: Troy Tulowitzki

Arizona Diamondbacks
-The D'Backs don't have enough to win the division, but they have enough to garner some wins and play spoiler for the higher ups. This could be a legit team next year with a healthy Webb, Haren, and Jackson atop the rotation with solid offense lead by Upton, Drew and Reynolds.

Players to watch out for: Miguel Montero and Ian Kennedy
Players who could disappoint: Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds
Team MVP: Justin Upton

San Diego Padres
-After Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young the fathers don't have too much. They could play spoiler like the D'Backs, however I expect it to be a long year of ups and downs (with way more downs) for the Padres.

Player to watch out for: Kyle Blanks
Player who could disappoint: Jon Garland
Team MVP: Adrian Gonzalez

Lets review (seeding in ())
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies (1)
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals (2)
NL West: San Francisco Giants (4)
Wild Card: Atlanta Braves (3)

NL Awards
MVP: Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Philadelphia)
Rookie: Jason Heyward (Atlanta)
Comeback: Billy Wagner (Atlanta)
Manager: Bruce Bochey (San Francisco)

Now lets get this bad boy into the postseason shall we.

LDS
Philadelphia over San Francisco
St. Louis over Atlanta
New York over Texas
Minnesota over Boston

LCS
Philadelphia over St. Louis
New York over Minnesota

World Series
Philadelphia Phillies def. New York Yankees in 6 games
MVP: Roy Halladay